Burden of Rank [OPEN]

[fieldpromoted]

Being in command meant having to make the hard decisions.

Trudy knew that, but having to dishonorably discharge a talented pilot like Allenby still crawled under the collar and itched. Her shoulders took on a distinct slump as she walked through the hallways of the ship, mouth set in a hard line, going over the confrontation in her head. Could she have done anything differently?

Probably not. Allenby had been hell-bent on what she was doing and no amount of logic was going to dissuade her from flying down to the planet with just her Gundam and a small crew. Trudy was satisfied that she'd manage to stop her from getting herself and others killed... but the incident was a black mark on Starfighter Command and her ability to control her pilots.

These were the times that she hated her job.

Her boots hit the grass of Hydroponics and she made a beeline for the beer tree. She probably would have had better company at the Drunken Dragon, but company wasn't what she was after. Not right now, not after what had just gone down in the hangar.

Knowing this ship though, company would find her whether she wanted it or not.

Comments

[shootingblancs]

Michel had been on his way to Hydroponics to see if he could discreetly nab some fresh fruit off the vine with nobody else the wiser when he saw his commanding officer exit the transporter tube a ways in front of him - and even from this distance there was no mistaking the cloud hanging over her head.

He had a pretty good idea what it was about.

So, he continued on into the grassy area, stopping to pluck a fresh-looking... fruit of some kind that he didn't quite recognize from a bush - and then a second as an afterthought.

Sure enough, he found the other pilot where he thought she'd be, hanging out under that bizarre tree that sprouted beer. Someone would have to tell him how that actually worked one of these days. "Hey," he said in a voice that was a bit less bright than its normal tone. "Catch."

He tossed the second fruit at her underhand.

[fieldpromoted]

Trudy's head and her hand lifted up at the same time, and she easily fielded the fruit. She turned it over in her hands, sniffed it, decided that Stacy would probably stop her if it was poisonous and took a bite.

"'S good," she said. "Thanks. Want a beer?"

[shootingblancs]

"I wouldn't turn it down," he arched an eyebrow, before taking a bite of his own fruit. ...it was kind of tangy, he decided. "Something about gift horses and mouths, if I recall."

[fieldpromoted]

Pretending she was okay could only last so long, but it was worth a try. She reached up and pulled a couple beers off the tree - one she sat on the ground next to her, and the other one she passed to Michael.

She sat down at the base of the tree, considering the fruit. "So," she said.

[shootingblancs]

"So," he echoed, sitting cross-legged on the grass a ways away, and cracking open the beer.

"...kids these days, huh?"

Given that he wasn't yet in his twenties, it was kind of a hypocritical statement. Not that he cared about that sort of thing.

[fieldpromoted]

She laughed - it wasn't all there, but at least it was something. "Tell me about it," she said. "These Gundam pilots... they're something else."

She always knew that Blade Squadron was where her problems were going to come from. Trudy took a sip of her beer and sat scowling at the grass.

[shootingblancs]

"Well, at least all the crazy's located in one squadron." He took a sip of his beer. "Most of the crazy, anyway." Couldn't forget Asuka. "I don't envy Yamato having to corral that crew. He seems a bit too soft-spoken for the job."

[fieldpromoted]

"Nah, I think that's why he does so well with them to be honest." Hotheaded pilots with a tendency to do whatever they damn well pleased got their backs up when someone like Trudy came charging and yelling into the picture, as was the case with Allenby. Yamato, on the other hand... he was polite. It helped.

Trudy didn't do polite, not while she was in command. "First dishonorable discharge," she said. "Had to come sooner or later with this crew, I guess."

[shootingblancs]

"Maybe," Michael shrugged. "I don't know if I could handle that group without blowing a fuse or slugging somebody."

He leaned back, propping himself up with a hand on the grass. "Any idea where you're going from here? We can't keep her locked up in the brig until we wipe out the Ohm."

[fieldpromoted]

"The brig wasn't my decision," Trudy said, although if it was up to her she probably would have made that same decision. "It was the Captain's. She's a civilian now, Kennedy can deal with her."

She took a sip of her beer. "Between you and me? I was really close to popping her in her smart mouth back there in the hangar."

[shootingblancs]

"I can't say I'd have stopped you," he said, dryly. "It's what Captain Ozma'd have done with any of us Skulls if he thought we needed a lesson."

"Well, that or make us do laps in Ex-Gears with the power turned off. That'll get you back in line something fierce."

[fieldpromoted]

"I've got one of your pilots scrubbing the flight deck of the Quarter," Trudy said, tipping the neck of the beer to point at him as she said it. "It'd be nice if you could drop in and supervise him."

At least Sonic backed down when he heard sense.

"Speaking of those Ex-Gears... have you talked to Engineering about working up a few more of them?"

[shootingblancs]

"One of my--?" Michael groaned, covering his face with his palm. "Don't tell me - it's Sonic. Hotheaded little critter, ain't he?" A sigh. "I'll stop in later, make sure the place is sparkling."

He swirled the liquid around in the bottle. "I mentioned it a while back, but you know how things get around here. Don't think anything's come of it yet - I'll give them another poke and see what's what."

[fieldpromoted]

"Got it in one," Trudy said. "At least he's more sensible than Allenby. He just bought himself deck-swabbing duty, not brig time."

She never thought she would see the day where a blue hedgehog was one of her sensible pilots.

"You do that," Trudy said. "And I'll make sure to put a bug in Angie's ear too. Those things can save lives."

[shootingblancs]

"That Sonic is more sensible than people on the ship is kind of scary," Michael shook his head, taking a bite of the fruit he had.

"You know what would save more lives?" A familiar grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "If we stuck everyone in VFs." A pilot's argument - no faster way to bring things back to normal. Normal-ish.

[fieldpromoted]

"Uh-huh, you think so," Trudy said, grinning. "It's going to take a lot more than popguns to take out the Ohm. The X-wings have the real firepower."

Actually, the mobile suits outclassed the X-wings, but Yamato wasn't here to butt in on behalf of his squadron.

[shootingblancs]

He peered at her over his glasses. "Last I checked, my railgun tore through them just fine. And I didn't have to be in a flying crate to do it."

Of course, Kira would probably have been too polite to say anything anyway.

[fieldpromoted]

"One out of four, Michael, one out of four." It was true that his rifle did a hell of a lot of damage, but the X-wings had torpedoes. "You know what Skull Squadron is really good at? Giving the Shrikes a target that's just as fast as they are to chase around for a while until someone else comes and blows it up."

[shootingblancs]

He took another sip of his beer. "It'll be four out of four if those other three graduate to the VF-25s," he shook his head. "But I think we'd rather not risk our Messiahs on rookies when the 171s can outrun the Ohm just fine." A short pause. "Until someone else comes and blows it up."

[fieldpromoted]

Trudy made a face. "That reminds me we're short a ZAKU and an X-wing now, since Allenby pulled that stunt with the X-wing. Flight platform," she grumbled, scowling. "Disrespectful."

The whole thing had been disrespectful, and Trudy walked away from it feeling like her authority had been severely undermined. When she only had her reputation on the ship to convince people she knew how to lead, this was a black mark.